Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (19 Aug 2026) Raptors
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Aug 19, 2026, 6:56:46 PM (12 hours ago) Aug 19
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Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park
Golden, Greater Denver, Colorado, USA
This is a new raptor migration site identified and designated in mid-September 2024. This is Colorado's 1st fall hawk watch site, and the second hawk watch in Colorado. To get to the site which is along Lookout Mountain Rd. in Golden, enter either Windy Saddle Park or Mount Zion into Google Maps on your favorite navigation app, or enter the coordinates 39.7368,-105.2454. From the parking lot ascend the stone steps to the watch site. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO THE HAWK WATCH TO ENJOY THE SPECTACLE OF RAPTOR MIGRATION, EVEN IF YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IDENTIFYING RAPTORS IN FLIGHT. We will help you to learn Raptor ID. See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk
Visitors:
A hiker already on top commented on my "photographic" equipment. I explained what it was and what I was doing. He lived in Golden, though from Virginia, and he knew of a hawk watch there. An older couple came up with their young grandson. She asked whether I'd seen any birds, and when I answered in the negative she said that the thermals would not have formed yet. I told her that she knew more than most people. She said she lived in San Francisco, was a teacher and she used to take students up to Hawk Hill/ Golden Gate Bird Observatory Hawk Watch. She pointed to my scope and asked what it was for. I explained that it was a telescope.
Weather:
Another day with wildfire smoke covering Denver with a brown gray layer for 1 degree above the horizon. There was good cloud cover both East and North. The winds were initially from the west but were soon overpowered by the anabatic winds from the East changing to ESE. The winds aloft were from the NW as evidenced by the direction of the clouds.
Raptor Observations:
Not a single migrant raptor today. Non-migrant raptors: RT 3, TV 2.
Non-raptor Observations:
A single paraglider at 10:00 a.m. had no lift whatsoever. MOBL 5, WOSJ 1, BTHU female which fed from a flower 4 ft from me, VGSW 8, WBNU 1, SPTO 1, CORA 1, AMCR 1.
Predictions:
Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. However the winds aloft are again from the NW which seems to mitigate against a good flight.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aian...@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
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Golden, Greater Denver, Colorado, USA
This is a new raptor migration site identified and designated in mid-September 2024. This is Colorado's 1st fall hawk watch site, and the second hawk watch in Colorado. To get to the site which is along Lookout Mountain Rd. in Golden, enter either Windy Saddle Park or Mount Zion into Google Maps on your favorite navigation app, or enter the coordinates 39.7368,-105.2454. From the parking lot ascend the stone steps to the watch site. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO THE HAWK WATCH TO ENJOY THE SPECTACLE OF RAPTOR MIGRATION, EVEN IF YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IDENTIFYING RAPTORS IN FLIGHT. We will help you to learn Raptor ID. See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk
| Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 19, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 29 | 29 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 0 | 54 | 54 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 10:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 2.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
A hiker already on top commented on my "photographic" equipment. I explained what it was and what I was doing. He lived in Golden, though from Virginia, and he knew of a hawk watch there. An older couple came up with their young grandson. She asked whether I'd seen any birds, and when I answered in the negative she said that the thermals would not have formed yet. I told her that she knew more than most people. She said she lived in San Francisco, was a teacher and she used to take students up to Hawk Hill/ Golden Gate Bird Observatory Hawk Watch. She pointed to my scope and asked what it was for. I explained that it was a telescope.
Weather:
Another day with wildfire smoke covering Denver with a brown gray layer for 1 degree above the horizon. There was good cloud cover both East and North. The winds were initially from the west but were soon overpowered by the anabatic winds from the East changing to ESE. The winds aloft were from the NW as evidenced by the direction of the clouds.
Raptor Observations:
Not a single migrant raptor today. Non-migrant raptors: RT 3, TV 2.
Non-raptor Observations:
A single paraglider at 10:00 a.m. had no lift whatsoever. MOBL 5, WOSJ 1, BTHU female which fed from a flower 4 ft from me, VGSW 8, WBNU 1, SPTO 1, CORA 1, AMCR 1.
Predictions:
Sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. However the winds aloft are again from the NW which seems to mitigate against a good flight.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aian...@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
This is an automated email report from hawkcount.org.
If you do not wish to receive these reports, please send email to unsub...@hawkcount.org to unsubscribe.
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